On Being a Police Officer Ep. 36 Seattle PD Det. Britt Kelly on the ambush murder of her FTO Tim Brenton and her mission to honor all SPD line of duty deaths.
Ep. 36 Seattle PD Det. Britt Kelly (née Sweeney) who has 13 years on the department, is embarking on a passion project to honor the department’s line of duty deaths, of which she was nearly one. On Oct. 31, 2009, just a few weeks into Britt’s field training, her Field Training Officer Timothy Brenton was murdered in an ambush attack as the two of them sat in their squad car pulled off to the side of the road. Britt sustained injuries but was able to exit the vehicle to return fire at the fleeing shooter’s car. She walks me through the incident, the emotions, the trauma and what made her change her mind after she “quit.”
We also discuss the shock of a subsequent officer ambush less than a month later on Nov. 29, 2009 when four officers from Lakewood PD, located just south of Seattle, were shot and killed as they were sitting in a coffee shop on a Sunday morning. These two ambush attacks left all area LE and the community reeling. Police were being hunted – hunted and killed. These were some of the darkest days for this region.
Britt and I discuss what kept her going through these tough times and why she remained committed to law enforcement and SPD. She talks about how she now shares her experience with fellow and student officers as a way of helping them understand and prepare for the impact of a line of duty death. Sadly, the department has suffered two since Officer Brenton was murdered: Officer Lexi Harris, E.O.W. June 13, 2021 and K9 Officer Jedi, E.O.W. Jan. 5, 2022.
We do, of course, talk about the good times on the job, in particular her time on Bikes and what she loved about it, and her current role as a detective for the Force Investigation Team (FIT) which investigates officer involved shootings and other high-level use of force incidents. Britt told me it is her greatest honor to serve her fellow officers in these investigations.
As Britt says, her mission with the memorials is to hold true to what the department – and I will add the community – always say which is we will never forget. I will play what small role I can here in sharing the Officer Down Memorial Page tributes to the officers mentioned in this episode.
Seattle Police Department Line of Duty Deaths
https://www.odmp.org/search?ref=global&query=Seattle+Police+Department
The Lakewood Four
Officer Tina Griswold
https://www.odmp.org/officer/20138-police-officer-tina-gail-delong-griswold
Officer Ron Owens
https://www.odmp.org/officer/20140-police-officer-ronald-wilbur-owens-ii
Sgt. Mark Renninger
https://www.odmp.org/officer/20137-sergeant-mark-joseph-renninger
Officer Greg Richards
https://www.odmp.org/officer/20139-police-officer-gregory-james-richards
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Kent Mundell
https://www.odmp.org/officer/20190-deputy-sheriff-walter-kent-mundell-jr
As you may know, the Officer Down Memorial Page is a non-profit that takes donations. If you’re so inclined, here is their page:
©Abby Ellsworth. All booking, interviews, editing, production done by Abby Ellsworth. Music courtesy of freesound.org.
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